BUZZBAIT


JOEL ABRAHAMSSON CELEBRATES AFTER HIS 90-MINUTE


FIGHT WITH A 1,200-POUND GREENLAND SHARK. PHOTOS: OSKAR STENBERG


STRAPPED INTO HIS ROD AND REEL, ABRAHAMSSON WAITS FOR THE BITE OFF NORWAY.


THE GREENLAND SHARK SWIMS OFF AS THE LARGEST FISH CAUGHT IN A KAYAK.


THE STORY BEHIND JOEL ABRAHAMSSON’S 1,200-POUND GREENLAND SHARK [PROFI L E ]


WHOPPER! AS TOLD TO RIC BURNLEY


On September 1, 2014, Scandinavian angler, Joel Abrahamsson caught a Greenland shark estimated to weigh 1,247 pounds—the largest kayak catch ever recorded. Before Abrahamsson dropped his first bait, he spent a year researching locations, methods and equipment. He also chased down sponsors, found a guide and organized a film crew. And that’s nothing compared to the Herculean effort required to reel in the giant fish. Abrahamsson’s world-record Greenland shark isn’t just a big fish, it’s a big fish story, too.


Fighting a fish six times your weight is like riding a teeter-totter with a water buffalo. How did you tip the scale in your favor?


To prepare, I spent the summer cranking up concrete blocks in my local fishing hole. I had a theory that pulling the kayak would tire out the fish. If the fish pulled me overboard, I planned to cut the line with a knife I had duct-taped to my leg. I was attached to the rod with a waist harness and the rod was tied to the kayak, however, nothing held me in the boat. Crank- ing the three-pound weight and 10-pound bait 1,600 feet off the bottom took over 20 minutes, so exhaustion was a big concern.


26…KAYAK ANGLER


Only a handful of these sharks are caught each year, never by kayak. Was it hard to get sponsors, guides and film crew onboard?


The hardest part was convincing the guide that I wouldn’t drown. Dead kayak anglers are bad for business. To talk the guide into it, I had to promise him a film crew. That meant sponsors. Kayak fishing isn’t very popular in Scandinavia. To make it come together, I told the sponsors that if I failed I would pay for everything.


So, did it go as planned? What worked? What didn’t?


The first day I missed three fish. The fish would bite, I would come tight on the line, feel resistance, then nothing. Talk about disappointment. The next day, I changed to a 16/0 Owner Super Mutu hook. An hour after my first drop, I got a bite. I thought I was snagged until the bottom started to move and shake it’s head. I suddenly felt stupid for testing my theory with such high stakes. There is nothing spectacular about fighting Greenland sharks, but they will roll up the line so I couldn’t stop cranking. The fight took 90 minutes and the fish made three runs. Once the fish was on the surface I was completely empty of energy.


DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here for the full story on Joel Abrahamsson’s amazing catch.


Seems like a wild fish story, how have anglers and the world reacted?


My phone started to ring as soon as I returned to shore. In four days I was on almost every TV, newspaper and radio in Scandinavia, then the story traveled all over the world. It became unreal. The reaction from the kayak fishing community has been both positive and negative. Most people seem excited about the film, but there have been some critics who claim the fish isn’t worthy of a record because I didn’t weigh it. Personally, I have never claimed it to be an official record. The location of my catch is not a secret, if anyone thinks catching one is easy.


So, now that you’ve caught a 1200-pound fish in a kayak, what are you going to do next?


My next target will be a halibut over six feet long and 250 pounds. I want to catch the fish completely unassisted and then release it. Big fish like these are too important to the ecosystem to kill for a trophy. And they don’t taste very good, either.


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